


Empathy

by Anti_Social_Teen



Category: Marvel (Comics), Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Angst, Empath, F/M, Love, Mutant Reader, powers, sad with hopeful ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 22:59:56
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16753090
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anti_Social_Teen/pseuds/Anti_Social_Teen
Summary: When Bucky Barnes arrives to the Avengers Compound it puts to test your abilities as an empath and puts to test your own emotions.





	Empathy

You could sense him before he even left the elevator. It made your hands prickle and sweat under your gloves. Your mind immediately began to attempt to decipher the emotions that seeped from his pores.  _ Sorrow, confusion, fear, rage..... _

It was a normal day at the Avengers Compound and you and team were awaiting the arrival of James Barnes who Steve affectionately referred to as ‘Bucky’. You had heard of the Winter Soldier especially after the events in Washington D.C but you were still a fairly new recruit, joining the team during the fight with Ultron. Steve had found Bucky Barnes and decided that the best thing to do was to bring him here. This is where things become complicated for an empath like you. 

Nausea filled your body and you lost your balance for a moment, clutching the sleek counter for support, your eyes glazing over as you felt the strongest emotions in a long time. What shocked you was the fact that you could feel them without touching anyone. It was incredibly rare for this to be happening and your body didn’t know how to handle it. It was like that moment of dread in horror movies when you hear the violins screech before the monster inevitably pops out. You heard someone call out your name but all you could hear was the violins screeching in your head. By the time the elevator doors opened you were on your knees, dry heaving on the floor. 

“(Y/N)!” Wanda cried as she attempted to shake you, careful not to touch your skin. Steve who was in the elevator with Bucky, rushed forward as soon as the doors opened.

“What the hell is happening?!” Steve asked bewildered. You could only clutch your head in pain. Bucky stood paralyzed in the elevator watching confused by your limp body on the ground, Steve, Wanda and now Tony attempting to coax you out of this fit.  Bucky stepped out of the elevator and you let out a cry as the emotions became stronger, now memories of torture accompanying them. 

“Bucky stop!” Steve instructed making Bucky still. 

“Take her to her room,” Tony said and Steve nodded before gathering you in his arms and rushing to the stairs. Tony and Wanda watched with concerned expressions as Steve rushed off with your weak body. 

“Tony,” Wanda whispered nudging his body before gesturing to an expressionless Bucky a few feet away.

“Keep him company while I sort this out,” Tony said before walking away, grumbling to himself. Wanda turned and gave Bucky a reassuring smile. 

“Hello James my name is Wanda Maximoff. I’m sure Steve has told you about everyone that lives here at the compound. Let’s get you some tea,” Wanda said waving him over to the elevator. They stepped in, an awkward silence in the air. Bucky was so confused that he blindly followed Wanda out to the next floor, into the large spacious kitchen. He watched Wanda prepare the tea, two mugs floating from the shelves, encased in a red glow. 

“I am sorry you had to witness that Bucky,” Wanda murmured as she poured hot tea for them.

“What was  _ that  _ exactly?” Bucky asked.

“She is an empath. She has to usually touch people to sense their emotions or see a bit into their minds but.....,” Wanda explained before trailing off.

“So she could read my emotions?” Bucky choked out now feeling guilty for causing pain to someone he had never even met. 

“Yes. But do not feel bad over this James. She will never hold it against you, (Y/N) is the kindest person on this planet,” Wanda said with a small smile. 

“Can she control emotions?” Bucky asked awkwardly.

“No,” Wanda shook her head before continuing. 

“She can only read emotions not control them. But she controls hers pretty well. But I am sure that if she could control feelings she would never use it,” Wanda smiled. They sat there in comfortable silence as Bucky mulled over his emotions and thoughts. 

By the time you had managed to control yourself you felt fine around Bucky. You had emerged from your room and gone straight to him, introducing yourself and re-assuring him that everything would be fine. And in time you even felt joy around him. He actually seemed fine, his emotions no longer affected you. He was like any other person around you and you always made sure to wear the gloves to avoid any accidental contact. If anything you felt yourself falling for the quiet James Barnes. As the weeks went by he would actually flirt or crack jokes much to everyone's surprise. It was no secret that you were smitten with each other and on New Year’s when he grabbed you by the waist and kissed you, all you could feel was calm and happiness. All of that love and happiness blinded you from that small feeling of darkness in his mind. A few weeks later you, Natasha, and Bucky were assigned to a small job, apprehending a known HYDRA associate. It was nothing big but you hadn’t expected it to affect Bucky the way it did. 

Natasha had found the man at a bar in Kiev and with a small drug in his drink had led him to the dark alley where you and Bucky waited in the SUV.

“Want to get some hot cocoa when we’re back in New York?” you asked as you placed your hands over the heater. 

“Sure Doll,” Bucky replied with a wink. You smiled at one another before the door was opened and Natasha pushed in the passed out man.

“Let’s go. This place reeks of cheap perfume and cheap booze,” Natasha snapped making you chuckle as you stepped on the accelerator. It was about thirty minutes before you made it to the small motel on the outskirt of the city. You were the only people in the motel making it the perfect place for a quick interrogation. As Bucky tied the man to the chair, Natasha made sure to lock the door, draw the curtains and scout for any cameras.

“All clear,” Natasha said as she sat on the creaky bed. You nodded at Bucky who brought out a vile and syringe, quickly readying the syringe and placing it into the mans arm. Quickly the man opened his eyes and once he saw who was in the room he let out a ragged breath and attempted to shake out of his restraints. 

“You won’t get out of those for a while Sergey,” Natasha snapped as she stood up, standing next to you. 

“What do you want Black Widow,” he sneered.

“Answers on where the last HYDRA base in Ukraine is located,” Natasha replied. 

“I won’t tell you shit,” he snapped before gesturing to Bucky with his head.

“And having the  _ soldat _ here won’t help you,” he continued with a grin. 

“That’s why we have her,” Natasha replied and pushed you forward. You took off your gloves and approached the man. 

“What are you doing?” he snapped angrily. You simply placed a finger to his temple and pushed past his mental defenses. 

“I don’t know anything!” he cried.

“He’s lying,” you murmured as you continued to look into his mind. He was obviously trained in resisting interrogation so you decided to try something else. 

“I’m gonna have to absorb some of his feelings to make him weak enough for me to look into his mind,” you sighed. Bucky stiffened and shot Natasha a look.

“Don’t do it (Y/N) who knows what this piece of shit has locked up in his emotions,” Bucky said. 

“I just need him weak enough to look for the location James I’ll be fine,” you said. Bucky sighed before leaning back to the wall. Placing your hand on the man's forehead you began to absorb his emotions. They were sinister and dark, and before you knew it you were in a memory.  _ Shit _ , you thought and before you could back out you recognized a voice. 

_ “Soldat?” a man in a uniform asked.  _

_ “Ready to comply,” Bucky replied. You watched in shock, as Bucky sat on a reclined chair before laying down, his head being covered.  _

_ “Always ready for us soldat. You’ll receive a briefing after this,” the man said. That’s when a feeling of dread overtook you, those dreaded violins screeching around you. The buzz of electricity filled the air before Bucky let out an earth shattering scream of pain that shook you to your core.  _

You let out a cry and fell backwards into Natasha’s arms who fell back onto the floor, startled at your sudden cry. Bucky immediately leapt forward from his spot on the all and grabbed Sergey by the throat, his metal hand making imprints into his skin. 

“What did you do?” Bucky growled at Sergey.

“She saw a memory  _ soldat _ . You were there remember? About to be wiped, clean slate,” Sergey sneered, malice dripping in his voice. Bucky let out a ragged growl and gripped his neck tighter.

“You are nothing but a  _ soldat _ . And we will find you again,” Sergey choked out before Bucky gripped his neck tighter and tighter. There was a snap and you grimaced. Bucky turned to see you in Natasha’s arms, gripping onto her for dear life. 

“Pass me her gloves Bucky,” Natasha murmured quietly as she stroked your hair. Bucky silently passed her your gloves before lifting Sergey’s dead body and walking out into the cold night. 

That was the start of the downhill journey. After that mission you had all made it back to the compound in silence, no stopping for hot chocolate In New York. Instead of a kiss goodnight, Bucky used the stairs instead of joining you and Natasha on the elevator. “Give him some time,” Natasha said to you, giving your shoulder a squeeze. You nodded and thought that all he needed was space and some peace. But that all ended when you woke up to his ragged screams. As you awoke you could hear him from the floor above you, his emotions seeping down towards you, suffocating you. You threw yourself out of bed and raced to the elevator. It felt like an eternity as you waited for the doors to open and when they did you raced to his door.

“Bucky!” you cried as you knocked on the door. You placed your hand on the door and hissed as you felt his increasing fear and pain. With a grunt you lifted your leg up and kicked the door handle effectively breaking the door. You were greeted with Bucky twisting on his bed, the covers and blankets all over the floor, torn. You carefully walked forward but as you reached for his arm you realized you had left you gloves by your bed. Pushing that thought aside you placed your hand on his chest, over his shirt.

“Bucky wake up!” you shouted. He flinched and his eyes opened to see you standing over him.

“(Y/N),” Bucky breathed. You gave him a sad smile as you sat on the bed.

“Nightmare?” you asked. Bucky nodded silently as he laid back down. Silently you nudged him over before taking your place beside him.  You couldn’t control or manipulate emotions but you could absorb them. So as you laid next to Bucky you placed your hands on his head and inhaled slowly. You let his darkness and pain pool into your body, making you shake. By the time his breathing had slowed you were cold and exhausted. It felt like the worst flu you had ever had experienced and before you knew it you had blacked out.  

When you awoke you could see Bucky at the edge of the bed, his broad shoulders hunched over, his long brown locks covering his face.

“Bucky?” you whispered. 

“This  _ can’t _ happen,” Bucky snapped as he clutched his head. Your heart began to beat wildly as you sat up. 

“What do you mean?” you asked your voice cracking. 

“I’m not ready to love you. I  _ can’t _ love you,” he said, his voice cracking as if it hurt him to even say the words. You were so emotionally drained you couldn’t even reply. You numbly got out of his bed and walked to the broken door. 

By the time you got out of the elevator to your level you were barely holding the tears back, a knot in your throat. Scrambling to you room you flung the door open before slamming it behind you. You let out a cry as you slid down the door, the tears finally breaking past your eyes. All of your pain and heartbreak seeped from your pores and little did you notice how it permeated throughout the compound like a thick fog. Wanda’s cup of tea crashed as it slipped from her hands, Steve’s eyes immediately filled with tears, Natasha felt a chill go up her spine, Tony felt his chest tighten, Sam was ripped from his nap and even Vision felt something stir in his chest that he had not felt before. They instantly knew something was off and you were the only explanation. As Wanda walked to your room she felt sorrow touch her heart, bringing along memories she wished to forget. With a gasp of air she threw her hands up, forming mental blocks around her head. When she arrived to your room she opened the door to find you on the floor, weeping. Grabbing a blanket she wrapped you up and held you close to her chest, allowing you to sob brokenly in her arms. 

Back in one of the main living areas, everyone had gathered to discuss this new addition to your powers that had left them all shaken. 

“This is because of you!” Sam yelled lunging at Bucky.

“You broke her heart when all she wanted to do was love you!” Sam yelled as Vision held him back. Bucky straightened and clenched his fists at his sides, his metal arm whirring. 

“Let’s not let our emotions get the best of us. It won’t do anyone any good,” Vision said as he attempted to calm Sam down. Finally Sam shook him off and sat next to Steve who had his head in his hands as he pondered the situation. 

“Buck. Wanda is bringing her down in a bit so why don’t you head back to your room while we get this all settled,” Steve sighed, sending Bucky a pleading look. Bucky had no words to say so with that he stomped out. 

“I need to go lay down,” Tony finally spoke up, his eyes looking troubled. Vision followed him out leaving Sam, Steve and Natasha waiting for you to arrive. When you did arrive you looked so defeated it tugged on their heart strings to see you this way. 

“What’s wrong?” you asked quietly, taking a seat next to Steve.

“(Y/N).....you affected us all,” Natasha murmured. You froze at her words your head whipping towards her. 

“What do you mean? I can’t control others emotions,” you whispered. 

“Well now you can. We could all feel your um heartbreak,” Steve sighed. Tears pooled into your eyes once more and you went to grab Steve’s hand but as soon as you did he hissed as if you had burned him.

“Oh god Steve I’m sorry,” you cried. Wringing your hands you fled the living room towards your room. 

“(Y/N) wait up!” Sam cried as he chased after you. 

“What happened?” Natasha whispered to Steve who looked as if he’d seen a ghost. 

“When she touched me it was like everything went dark and I couldn’t feel anything,” Steve choked out. Natasha grasped his shoulder but could sense someone looking at them. They both turned and saw Bucky watching them, looking cold and stoic like when Steve had found him. 

“I need to leave. I don’t know where but I’m not good for anyone here,” Bucky choked out. Steve walked over to his distressed friend. 

“Listen to me. This isn’t your fault Buck,” Steve said sternly. As they attempted to reason with Bucky you were sitting at the edge of your bed, hastily placing your gloves on. 

“(Y/N),” Sam said from the doorway. You looked up at him and sniffled.

“Why is this happening to me? My emotions have gotten out of control and now I’m developing powers I never knew I had!” you cried. Sam sighed before approaching you.

“Life is never going to go the way you think. It’ll throw ups and downs and punches at you. You can’t control what it throws at you but you can control how you respond. Your powers may feel like a burden right now but use them to pick yourself up now. You are the kindest person I have ever met and being an empath simply amplifies your kindness. Don’t lose hope (Y/N),” Sam said. As he finished his speech you found truth in his words. With a determined look on your face you stood up.

“Thank you Sam,” you said, gripping your friends hand before running out of your room and back to find Bucky. 

This is where you found Natasha and Steve arguing with him, but Bucky as always was resistant. You listened for a moment before speaking up.

“You’re not going anywhere,” you spoke up from behind them. Bucky turned quickly to see you, standing tall, strong, your gloved hands wrapped around yourself. His heart fluttered in his chest as he watched you approach him, your eyes bright and full of kindness. 

“You’re staying here because this is where you belong. This is your family now and you deserve to have us supporting you. No matter what has happened between us, you’re staying,” you said. 

“I’m not good for you,” Bucky countered.

“You’ve just escaped HYDRA’s clutches and are barely holding on to your wits Bucky. This is where you need to be to receive help and rehabilitation,” you replied. Natasha and Steve looked at one another before silently standing up and leaving the living room. 

“That’s no excuse for what I did to you,” Bucky sighed as sat down at the couch.

“I rushed you into something because I was blinded,” you replied taking your spot next to him.

“We just found each other at the wrong time,” you whispered sadly. Tentatively you removed the gloves, and reached for his flesh hand. Bucky watched wide eyed as you took his hand in yours. He actually smiled at seeing your small hand in his large one. It always made him smile when he would pick you up like a doll. 

“I wish I could take all of your pain away Bucky but I’m afraid it would kill me,” you sighed sadly.

“It is not my job to fix you. It will take time but you will find peace one day. Even if it means without me,” you continued. As you held his hand you could feel him calm down, you could feel the swirls of sadness and tragedy in his soul but as you stared into his deep blue eyes you could sense a glimmer of hope too. And that was good enough for you. 

  
  



End file.
